British Man With Chainsaw Wound Was Refused Medical Attention TWICE

Chuck Ross

A handyman in England who suffered a two-inch, bone-deep wound from a chainsaw ended up bandaging himself after he was turned away from two medical facilities.

Larry Smith, 62, was trimming trees as part of his job when he fell from a 12-foot high ladder. The chainsaw sliced into his arm, leaving a bloody gash, according to the Daily Mail.

Smith scrambled to the nearest medical facility – which are called GPs, or general practitioner surgeries, throughout the U.K. Though the GP surgery was only 400 yards away, he was turned away because he was not a registered patient there.

“I couldn’t believe I was turned away. I was actually bleeding on their floor,” he said, adding that he was perplexed.

“I was always told that if there was a major incident you could nip into any GP practice to get help but I just couldn’t get past the rottweiler receptionist,” he told the U.K. Mirror.

Still bleeding, Smith went to Hilary Cottage, the GP surgery where he was registered. But they could not fix his mangled arm either.

“When I got to my surgery I thought I’d have more luck but they turned around to me and said they were far too busy,” said Smith.

Smith said he knew he needed to go to a hospital but wanted to stem the bleeding first.

“Being a first responder I knew I’d done something serious to my arm. I also knew it was repairable but it needed immediate bandaging first,” he said, according to the Daily Mail.

He stopped at a nearby pharmacy and bandaged the wound before calling his wife to drive him the 10 miles to Cirencester Hospital. There, he was eventually given 10 stitches.

The U.K.’s governing medical body, the National Health Service, explains how the GP system works.

“You can register with a GP practice of your choice, as long as you live within its catchment area and it is accepting new patients. Visits to the surgery are free.”

As for why the GP surgery where Smith was registered could not see him is unclear. The facility said it could not issue comment, citing patient privacy.